All-Stars: More than meets the eye
By Patrick Newell
Sun Sports Editor
At first glance, the 2007 season for our six local gridiron contingents does not elicit any gasps or awe-inspired commentary. Two clubs – Norwich and Bainbridge-Guilford – won six games, and neither was a playoff participant. The only team that did qualify for the postseason, Greene, wound up 5-4 scoring 25 points a game and giving up about 16. No, nothing spectacular there.
This was a season where you really needed to read between the lines; to extrapolate from the gray areas. Once uncovered, there were gems and neat accomplishments aplenty among our half-dozen clubs.
For instance, below the standings found in our 2007 statistical wrapup, you’ll find individual leaders. Here are the highlights:
• Three 1,000-yard rushers, Billy Northey of S-E, Chris Mattingly of Norwich, and Dustin Ross of B-G. It’s only the second time over the last 10 years that more than one back reached the 1,000-yard mark, and the first time in over five seasons that any Chenango County rusher. Northey is also the first S-E back to reach 1,000 yards rushing in this reporter’s 13 years covering local football.
• Norwich gave up just 104 points, or just over 11 a game – the first time the Tornado have allowed the fewest points per game over the last 13 seasons. The 104 points allowed is fewer than any of the NHS playoff teams the past decade-plus, and Norwich had the best scoring defense in a talented Section IV division. The Tornado surrendered just 41 points in five league games (8.2/per contest), better than Class B Section IV finalists Chenango Forks and Chenango Valley. The former of those two clubs is playing in yet another state championship game this coming weekend.
• Our area’s leading passer, Nate Whittaker of Greene, established a new completion percentage mark for the Trojans hitting over 56 percent of his passes this season. That was better than the school’s all-time leading passer, Kurt Spear. More impressive is that Whittaker learned the position this season after starting at running back last year. Lumped in with Whittaker is the accomplishment of his favorite target, Justin VanWert. VanWert didn’t set a record for catches, but did tie a team record with eight receiving touchdowns.
• Lastly, UV-Edmeston’s offense may not have struck fear in the hearts of opposing defenses, but its own defense was consistently tough to score on. Try seven games of four-quarter action where it allowed one touchdown or less. One contest versus Harpursville, deserves a bit of an asterisk. The Hornets scored two overtime touchdowns, but those were on a short field moving just 20 yards.
Looking at our 2007 all-star team, all 10 players who made last year’s club as underclassmen return to this year’s group. That includes Dylan Whitaker of B-G; Whittaker and Jake Wentlent of Greene; Mattingly of Norwich; Scott Shackelton and Dustin Christopherson of Oxford; Chris Pike and Northey of S-E; and Tom Giordano and Jake Curtis of UV-Edmeston.
Among the first-year senior selections are Tyler Saroka, Clyde Birch, Jesse Prosser and Nate Foote of Norwich; VanWert and D.J. Beckwith of Greene; Chris McGinnis of B-G; Matt Harrington of UV-Edmeston; Wheeler Brunschmid of S-E; and Jeff Champlin of Oxford.
Whittaker, Ross, and Pike head up a small selection of underclassmen we expect to see here in this spot at the same moment next year. That collection includes Travis Frank of Oxford, Tyler Kehl of Greene, Dustin Rutz of B-G, and Alex Williams of Norwich.
Please read on for a look at our annual Evening Sun all-star team... .
Sun Sports Editor
At first glance, the 2007 season for our six local gridiron contingents does not elicit any gasps or awe-inspired commentary. Two clubs – Norwich and Bainbridge-Guilford – won six games, and neither was a playoff participant. The only team that did qualify for the postseason, Greene, wound up 5-4 scoring 25 points a game and giving up about 16. No, nothing spectacular there.
This was a season where you really needed to read between the lines; to extrapolate from the gray areas. Once uncovered, there were gems and neat accomplishments aplenty among our half-dozen clubs.
For instance, below the standings found in our 2007 statistical wrapup, you’ll find individual leaders. Here are the highlights:
• Three 1,000-yard rushers, Billy Northey of S-E, Chris Mattingly of Norwich, and Dustin Ross of B-G. It’s only the second time over the last 10 years that more than one back reached the 1,000-yard mark, and the first time in over five seasons that any Chenango County rusher. Northey is also the first S-E back to reach 1,000 yards rushing in this reporter’s 13 years covering local football.
• Norwich gave up just 104 points, or just over 11 a game – the first time the Tornado have allowed the fewest points per game over the last 13 seasons. The 104 points allowed is fewer than any of the NHS playoff teams the past decade-plus, and Norwich had the best scoring defense in a talented Section IV division. The Tornado surrendered just 41 points in five league games (8.2/per contest), better than Class B Section IV finalists Chenango Forks and Chenango Valley. The former of those two clubs is playing in yet another state championship game this coming weekend.
• Our area’s leading passer, Nate Whittaker of Greene, established a new completion percentage mark for the Trojans hitting over 56 percent of his passes this season. That was better than the school’s all-time leading passer, Kurt Spear. More impressive is that Whittaker learned the position this season after starting at running back last year. Lumped in with Whittaker is the accomplishment of his favorite target, Justin VanWert. VanWert didn’t set a record for catches, but did tie a team record with eight receiving touchdowns.
• Lastly, UV-Edmeston’s offense may not have struck fear in the hearts of opposing defenses, but its own defense was consistently tough to score on. Try seven games of four-quarter action where it allowed one touchdown or less. One contest versus Harpursville, deserves a bit of an asterisk. The Hornets scored two overtime touchdowns, but those were on a short field moving just 20 yards.
Looking at our 2007 all-star team, all 10 players who made last year’s club as underclassmen return to this year’s group. That includes Dylan Whitaker of B-G; Whittaker and Jake Wentlent of Greene; Mattingly of Norwich; Scott Shackelton and Dustin Christopherson of Oxford; Chris Pike and Northey of S-E; and Tom Giordano and Jake Curtis of UV-Edmeston.
Among the first-year senior selections are Tyler Saroka, Clyde Birch, Jesse Prosser and Nate Foote of Norwich; VanWert and D.J. Beckwith of Greene; Chris McGinnis of B-G; Matt Harrington of UV-Edmeston; Wheeler Brunschmid of S-E; and Jeff Champlin of Oxford.
Whittaker, Ross, and Pike head up a small selection of underclassmen we expect to see here in this spot at the same moment next year. That collection includes Travis Frank of Oxford, Tyler Kehl of Greene, Dustin Rutz of B-G, and Alex Williams of Norwich.
Please read on for a look at our annual Evening Sun all-star team... .
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